ETHOS Issue 11
August 2012
Last updated 30 July 2026
ETHOS Issue 11, August 2012
This issue explores the impact of a more diverse socioeconomic demographic and geopolitical landscape on public institutions and policymaking.
Editorial
by Alvin Pang
That the survival and success of Singapore depends on our economic vitality and relevance to world market remains a given. The question is how best to improve the lot of those who are less able to benefit from the particular activities that sustain Singapore.
Economic Thinking and Practice in Singapore
Interview with Ravi Menon
The application of economic principles to public policy has shifted significantly over the past decade, in response to new insights and changing circumstances, the Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore explains.
The Future of Tripartism in Singapore: Concertation or Dissonance?
by SohTze Min
Singapore’s tripartite model of labour relations has underpinned three decades of success, but it must now contend with destabilising forces in the modern globalised economy.
The Danish Negotiated Economy
by Ove K. Pedersen
Denmark thrives on a strategy of institutional competitiveness: policies, incentives and norms that create a whole-of-society comparative advantage.
Don’t Close Off Options in Tackling Income Gap
Interview with David Autor
A leading US labour economist discusses the challenges of rising income inequality in Singapore.
Population Ageing Requires Adaptive Responses, Not Just Technical Ones
by Donald Low and Melindaelias
Beyond increased public spending, Singapore’s ageing population should prompt a deep rethinking about the structures, risks and values underpinning our healthcare system
Public Engagement: The Gap between Rhetoric and Practice
by Kenneth Paul Tan
Deeply ingrained habits and structures may have to be shed before a more productive relationship can develop between the state and the public.
What the Private Sector Has Learnt about Public Engagement
by Chng Hak-Peng
Consumer engagement strategies — and failures — in the business world could hold valuable lessons for engagement efforts in the public sector.
Fostering Mutually Constructive Engagement in a Globalised Singapore
By Vernie Oliveiro
An increasingly complex and diverse decision-making ecology calls for more productive relations between the state and civil society.
Public Diplomacy: An Emerging New Normal in Foreign Policy
by Premarani Somasundram
States must now learn to shape the context in which their policies are perceived by foreign publics in order to achieve national goals.
Policymaking for Real People
Reviewed by Tan Ye
An understanding of how human biases affect economic decision-making can significantly improve the design of public policy. A new book authored by Singapore’s policymakers explains
How Not to Lose the War on Poverty
Reviewed by Jeanne Conceicao
Conventional strategies to fight poverty may be doing more harm than good.
Managing Transitions
by Khoo Ee Wan
How can individuals manage the challenges — and reap the potential benefits — of life changes and workplace transitions?
New Capabilities in Strategic Leadership: Insights from Singapore
by Sheila Ronis
Singapore’s experience holds lessons for the establishment of robust, future-oriented national strategy frameworks elsewhere.
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